Category Archives: Trends

Post navigation

The Great Gatsby premiered this past weekend, and so in honor of all the glitz, glamour and oh-so fashionable wardrobes that came with it, we present our favorite vintage Crane & Co. ads from one of our favorite eras. We think Daisy and Jay would approve.

We like to think this is the kind of note Daisy would have written to her cousin, Nick, enticing him to return to New York for an evening (or evenings) of Champagne and boisterous banter into the wee hours.Continue reading →

Crane & Co. has been advising enthusiasts of classic correspondence for more than a century. In our archives is proof of this: petite, elegantly covered books boasting topics such as “Visiting Cards for Men” and “Country House Stationery.”

Some advice — the importance of thank you notes, the use of “honour of your presence” for a church wedding to name a couple — has proved timeless. Other advice, however — addressing wives who are also medical doctors, a brides’s monogram using a hyphenated last name — has been added, updated and, sometimes, scrapped altogether.

While we value tradition, we also embrace the kind of change that still feels correct and special. And so when online invitation purveyor Paperless Post approached us to partner on a collection of wedding stationery suites, we made sure that every design was a perfect blend of the online invitation company’s fresh, modern aesthetic and our timeless, classic elegance.

There’s no doubt we’ve enjoyed our fair share of sunshine and frozen treats this summer. However, we can honestly say that we’re ready to welcome crisp weather and leather boots back into our lives. The first day of fall is tomorrow, and with a new season comes new stationery.

Take a look at what we’ll be writing on when we trade ice cream for apple cider…

A White Christmas is a magical thing. Sleds, snowmen, bunny slopes. However, our friends who enjoy ocean breezes and tennis in December have a quite a magical thing going, too.

To celebrate twinkling lights strung around palm trees and Christmas dinner on the dock, we offer our Coastal holiday card series. This year, four new hand-engraved designs were added to create a more well-rounded collection.

New hues, new imagery, new inspiration: Here’s a peek inside The Making Of our new Coastal designs.

Colors

“The colors chosen reflect our traditional red and gold, which you will see throughout the designs,” said VP of Creative & Product Development Rachel V. Ivey, “but we’ve added brighter greens as well as a pop color, pink and a metallic blue to add visual interest to the designs.”

We punched up the green on our Adirondack Chairs to liven up the greenery…

On the Coastal Doorway, we pulled in a bluish green hue that is more representative of coastal greenery…

The Flamingos are a pop of pink that is very close to our Hibiscus stock…

For the Glass Buoy, we used an amazing metallic blue that is a custom mix that gives this design some extra glitz…

Imagery & Inspiration

Shells, greenery and, of course, the beach were all images used to inspire the artist, who ultimately created a collection of designs that will appeal to our customers in the coastal regions of the country — as well as anyone who simply years for a season with sand in her toes.

Next year, Stationery Trendsmagazine will celebrate its fifth anniversary, a statement to the perseverance of the people who cherish the art of handwritten correspondence. For the magazine’s founding editor, Sarah Schwartz, stationery and letters were a natural extension of a feisty, book-fueled imagination. Here, the former summer camp letter writer extraordinaire talks about pen pals, lunch box notes and why we should think of Abraham Lincoln the next time we’re angry with someone.

When did your interest in the epistolary world begin?
To me, writing letters and corresponding is a natural extension to the world of reading. From the time I learned to read at age four, I have loved entering and creating imaginary or past worlds. A great letter is just that, really — a little glimpse into another very personal world.

Not only is this engraved note called “Amber Waves” — making it quite appropriate to correspond while celebrating Team U.S.A. — its blue envelope is lined in bronze. Together with a delicately engraved image of grain, we have to say this note is certainly worthy of a medal.

When going for the gold — be it in running shoes or with pen in hand — one should always be inspired. We think this large leather journal in the Olympian’s favorite hue should do the trick.

The name of this personalized note card from our Crane Style Now collection is “Pass the Bubbly”, which is exactly what our Olympians will want to do after earning gold (or just the chance to compete). The rings also remind us of the games’ iconic logo, which represents the world’s five continents. A trip that encompasses all of them would be quite nice — if only for the fabulous letters home.

Ah, what pride and joy our Olympians must feel upon the playing of our National Anthem. The Star Spangled Banner (for which this card from our Americana Collection is named) surely sounds best when heard from atop a podium.

The handsome glint of our Faber Castell pen reminds us of the stately silver medal. Around one’s neck or in one’s hand, one can’t help but feel a bit more accomplished for owning it.

In this edition of The Making Of, we take a look at yet another one of our new collections (my, our design team has been busy).

Patriot meets pen in a premier collection celebrating all things red, white and blue. We’re calling it — drum roll, please — Americana. And what better time to launch it than while we’re all dreaming of fireworks and BBQs?

First, there was Inspiration.

“This collection came together as I was going over the archives,” recalls VP of Creative & Product Development Rachel V. Ivey. “I noticed that Crane was present for every Presidency. With an election approaching, developing a collection that celebrates our country was a pleasure.”

Next, the team thought about Americana’s target customer, and came up with three types:

The Classic American, who loves rich history.

The Proud American, who isn’t afraid to wear her U.S.A. love on her sleeve.

The Young American, who is learning how to become more involved in his country.

For a while, we’ve offered collections that cater to the enthusiast who is big on style and small on time. The idea being: a few choices — ink color, motif, font — instead of something completely customizable, which, while stunning and very personal, can be a daunting process.

While we wanted to keep the process simple, we also wanted a collection that spoke to today’s trends. And so, our VP of Creative & Product Development, Rachel V. Ivey, and her team began with step #1: The Inspiration Board.Continue reading →

Ah, the smell of freshly cut grass, mint julips and, well, that equine fragrance only a rider can love. The Kentucky Derby is this weekend, and we can’t wait to don our favorite hat, fresh from the milliner.

In celebration of all things equestrian, here are our few of our favorite Derby-inspired picks surely to land in your winner’s circle:

1) Leather iPad Sleeve in Dark BrownThe handsome leather of this iPad sleeve reminds us of a most prized saddle, only befitting of the fastest stallion. 4G on 4 legs, if you will.Continue reading →